Movies: Past, present and future

EXCLUSIVE: Joe Roth has been on the comeback trail since "Alice in Wonderland" became a global phenomenon. (See my colleague Claudia Eller's take on the second and third acts of the studio executive-turned-producer's career.)

Now Roth is making a bid for another family-oriented movie. He's shopping a CG project to studios. It's an untitled pitch with an appealing peg -- the film will be a whimsical look at where everyday items go when they get lost (and how they come to life when humans aren't around -- think "Toy Story" meets "Skinny Legs and All").

And it comes with an attractive element: Thor Freudenthal. The director, who has been riding a hot streak of his own with the success of "Diary of a Wimpy Kid," is shopping it with Roth. (He would direct and Roth would produce.)

As with all pitches, this one's a long way from seeing its way to the screen. But kiddie fare couldn't be more in vogue, animation continues to sizzle like a cartoon bonfire, and these two gentlemen have among the more notable (at very different budgets and in very different ways) hits of this young year. So we thought we'd tell you about it.